Tech Smorgasbord Archives - 11

These items are an archive of past Topical Smorgasbord items that have appeared on the RF Cafe
homepage. In keeping with the "cafe" genre, these tidbits of information are truly a smorgasbord of topics. They
all pertain to topics that are related to the general engineering and science theme of RF Cafe.

RIYADH, Nov 16 - "The malls are full, the cars are fast,
the fashions are sharp - conspicuous consumption is king as Saudis enjoy the benefits of oil at almost
$100 a barrel."

So, the countries that design and produce things are told to ride bicycles to work
and use fluorescent light bulbs, while the fat-cat oil cartel countries that produce almost nothing
live it up. Do you think they buy carbon credits like our own domestic hypocrites do to make
themselves feel good?

11-16-2007

"Poor
Richard's Almanack" Weather Forecasts Never Missed

Benjamin Franklin, known for his wit as well as for his
ingenuity, proclaimed the following in his 1737 edition of the publication after being criticized for
the forecasts not being spot on: "We modestly desire only the favorable allowance of a day or two
before and a day or two after the precise day. If it does not comes to pass accordingly, let the fault
be laid upon the printer." In other words, his weather forecasts were always accurate - it was just a
matter of when they would come to pass. Today's meteorologist must operate on the same principle.

My 2007 Chevy Cobalt has a built-in Starbucks alert. It
must, because while driving through Pittsburgh at night this week, I found myself in dire need of
caffeine. Problem is, my tolerance for bad coffee is very low, so I have to pass up a lot of
opportunities from quick stops and all-night diners. Just as I thought I would need to break out the
NoDoz tablets, an audible alarm in the dashboard began chiming. After the initial shock from
unexpectedly hearing the alarm, I looked out the window and there was a Starbucks sign. I immediately
pulled off the exit and got my caffeine fix. Crisis narrowly averted. I then filled my nearly empty
gas tank at the Sunoco station across the street and went on my way.

10-20-2007

The Average
Engineer

According to the latest Electronic Design survey with
about 3,000 responders, here is what constitutes the average engineer.